In sales you’re taught to drill to the why.

Both to motivate yourself when faced with repeat rejection and when working with clients to understand their motivation.

Why did they reach out to your company?

Why are they having challenges with documentation?

Why is documentation important to them?

The same applies to your students.

As a warm up to my high school English class we talk about how their day was.

It’s easy to get in a habit of a surface level answers, I’m good, no change, etc.

Time to ask a different question. Why are they learning English?

I’m learning English because it’s going to be helpful for my career to be able to work with people from America and Britain.

I’m learning English because I want to go to the U. S. for school.

I’m learning English because I want to work in the U. S. to then be able to buy a home here in Vietnam.

There was renewed energy and focus for the class, they knew their why.